Childhood friend and bigamy, or something like an erotic game.

I silently gather Vaz grass. It must be that the areas near water sources rich in mana are where it thrives. Since mana is abundant within the forest, it's probably difficult to gather there.
In the past, it might have grown around the edges of the forest as well, but if everyone starts collecting it, it will eventually deplete.

Thinking about the goblins from earlier, I can't let my guard down. My awareness of the surrounding atmosphere has become sharper, a strange sensation. Maybe this is due to the growth in proficiency of 'Vigilance.'

But since the goblin transferred it to me, that means its 'Vigilance' was higher than mine. If I hadn't been focused on eating, I might have noticed them first.

However, can I obtain skills with lower proficiency than my own? It's like those characters who "steal skills from weak enemies and become strong," but how do they utilize the stolen skills?

Is 'Acquisition' sensei about gaining skill acquisition triggers?
"Acquiring all information and experiences through actions. The purpose is to gain knowledge of what I or others have done, then apply it to this world's skill system to increase proficiency."
So, does that mean I need to fight someone stronger than me in some way to obtain skills? That would be cheating... Hmm. If I can acquire triggers unconditionally, that's cheating. Okay, let's think of it that way.

I continue to gather Vaz grass while crouched. When tired, soak my feet in the stream and massage them.
"Ahh, this is more convenient. Next time, I'll make the stream my destination."

Since the ratio of Vaz grass is high, gathering goes smoothly. In just three hours, I've collected 30 bundles.
"Is that all? I also have errands at the blacksmith's shop, so it's time to head back."

I head south, following the scars on the trees back to the village.

Upon returning to the Adventurers' Guild and opening the door, the atmosphere feels off. Looking around, Arie, the red-haired girl I met yesterday, is sitting with a sour expression, staring at me.
Why am I being glared at when I haven't done anything wrong?

I pretend not to notice and head toward the appraisal counter.

Today's staff is the same man as usual. Do they never take days off?

"Vaz grass and goblins. Let me confirm. Please wait a moment."
After about 15 minutes, the confirmation is complete.

"Achievement fee: 4,000 for two goblins and 24,000 for 30 bundles of Vaz grass. Total is 28,000 Waruru. Is that correct?"

"Yes, please."

"Please present your card."
Its processed through the reader.

"Registration complete. There are no changes in rank today. Thank you again for coming. Please continue to support us in the future."

I receive five 5,000-Waruru coins and three 1,000-Waruru coins.

Replying politely, I was about to head toward the blacksmith when Arie grabs my sleeve.
"Just a moment, please listen."

Her reaction is unexpectedly sincere.

"I was scolded a lot by Wadis. Sorry for suddenly confronting you yesterday."

The black-haired girl from yesterday must be Wadis. There's no choice but to listen. Entering the meeting room on the second floor, we find Wadis and an unfamiliar young man in a metal cuirass sitting there.

"Deed. Seems like I caused some trouble yesterday."
The young man is Deed.

"So, what's this about? I have other matters to attend to. Please be brief."
Deed begins explaining. The three of them form a fixed party, with Deed as the leader. By the way, they're childhood friends from the same village. A girl being someone's childhood friend isn't something to envy... Envy... No, don't think negatively.

"There's a Huge Slime spawning deep in the northern forest."
Slime-san is here. It's not the droplet type; it's an amorphous creature with a nucleus. Apparently, each attribute has its own species, and the nucleus emits semi-material based on mana aligned with that attribute. If the nucleus isn't destroyed, it absorbs surrounding mana to revive and grow. Reproduction occurs through nucleus fission. The larger it grows, the less frequent the splits become. It basically digests and absorbs everything, with no specific preferences. Maybe it's the forest's cleaner?

The Huge Slime is said to be a slime that has aged and grown. It can cover and swallow humans whole.

"Ordinary slimes could be handled by my sword or Arie's sword, or Wadis' magic. But for something as big as a Huge slime, swords won't work, and Wadis's magic might not have good affinity."
Seems like it's a water attribute slime, and Wadis is fire. Maybe blowing it away with wind would be faster.

"There's another mage named Belda, but she's busy elsewhere."
Huh? Calling her by her first name? Are both of them married? Bigamy is unacceptable. Is bigamy allowed?

"At present, the only party in the village with rank 7 or above is us. We were nominated by the guild and can't refuse."
Apparently, from rank 7 onward, escort missions become available, and adventurers start moving around more.

"Wadis's specialty is fire magic, which requires a lot of control. We'd appreciate your help."
Why does the guild need to nominate someone to defeat it? It seems that once it reaches Huge class, it grows without limit, threatening the ecosystem.

"I'm rank 10. There's no benefit for me."

"The achievement fee of 200,000 wares will be split 70% to you. We only need our share from the nomination and expenses. Additionally, as a special case, we've negotiated to have 30 added to your rank 10 achievements after completion."
The reward isn't bad, but I'll have to make sure I'm not assassinated and buried afterward.

"This is a guild nomination. A scout will join us as an auditor. We can't handle this alone."
Hmm, hopefully, it won't end in the dark.

"When should we depart?"

"Better sooner than later, so tomorrow morning. Even though it's deep in the forest, it's close to the village, so a day trip should be possible."
Day trip? That's reassuring.

"Honestly, as a rookie, I'm worried about holding you back. Please take care of me."

"We'll protect you, and the guild will also put effort into this. You can relax."
I shake hands with Deed and leave the meeting room.

Hmm, big things are happening.